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I hope most of you already figured that one out. MP3, or MPEG audio layer 3, is a format for compressed digital audio that gives you near CD quality at 12:1 compression compared to raw CD-audio. MP3 files can be downloaded from the Internet (Illegal unless you already own the CD) or you can make your own MP3s on your PC. You have also the possibility to use normal CDs. Put in your favourite CD and listen....
There are a lot of software MP3 players available, and most of them do an excellent job, but they all share some problems... You must have your computer turned on to listen to your favourite music, they stop playing when you reboot (a big problem with the rebootive multitasking of Windoze), they eat up CPU cycles and memory on your computer, the sound usually stops in a most annoying way when your computer is heavily loaded by something else, you have to stop the music when you need the soundcard for a game and they ain't got no remote control!
You can keep your files on CD-Rs, on a removable harddisk in the player. On one CD-R you can store up to 150 songs! If you need more, go and burn another one..... You have the possibility to play MP3 songs and audio tracks!
There is no knob or difficult keyboard handling to control the player. Just sit at your chair and control the sound. You can choose between sequential- and random-play or make a collection of your favourite songs and play it in a loop.
At the frontside of the player I implement a 2x40 LCD with backlight to show all necessary information of the inserted CD and the specified song.
There are some hardware MP3 players being developed as consumer products (you've probably heard of MP-man etc.) but most of themare damn expensive, unfinished and/or utterly useless. The M A P uses standard (and quite obsolete) PC hardware, a very tiny bit of homemade electronics, a remote control and MA P - software (free demo version or full version 12$ ) that fits on a single floppy disk.you can get used parts (or already have them lying around as in my case) the totalt cost should not have to be much more than a standard CD player.
Well, if you wan't one you'll have to build it yourself. You need to know your way around a soldering iron and know a little something about PC hardware. It is quite simple to build your own! Download the software, buy a LCD. Connect all things, put in the floppy disk and boot, insert your favourite CD and relax.....